But then the sun shown on Harvard--not literally, of course--but the Crimson did get a huge break on an illegal stick penalty against Hofstra that gave Harvard a full three minutes of unreleasable man-up time.
"It just shows you how everything comes around," said co-captain defenseman Tim Browne, noting that Harvard had suffered a similar penalty and subsequent overtime loss to Notre Dame earlier in the season. "I think that was an example of maybe how we've gotten some breaks this year and maybe this is our year."
Harvard quickly capitalized on the opportunity by scoring two goals. This included a fantastic goal from mid-air by Mike Marvin to give Harvard a 12-8 lead. And the feeder to the air-borne Marvin was none other than his brother, Pat.
"Its a great feeling hooking up with Mike--he made a great catch and stuffed the goalie. It was my favorite goal," Pat Marvin said.
But Hofstra, powered by sophomore midfielder Brian Langtree (four goals), just would not call it quits. Both teams traded punches, but it was Harvard who landed the knockout blow when Pat Marvin fittingly scored the last goal of the game.
But the last chapter is still not written for the Harvard men's lacrosse team. The Crimson will face third-seeded lacrosse powerhouse Virginia this Sunday at Johns Hopkins.
"We just want to keep on surprising people," Browne said.
After this season, there's not going to be much room left for surprises.